Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Soil questions First time "big" pond builder. Dirt questions

Welcome to the forum! Deeper is always better, especially with drought conditions. The more water you can "bank" the better.

If you can, I'd push the topsoil off to one area and save it. Do the same with the 7' of clay, but in a different area.

Make the pond as deep as you want, but you'll probably have to pump out water as it flows in thru the sand veins. Once at your preferred depth, compact the clay, plate the clay at least 24" thick over the sand veins and pack it in place to stop the water from coming into the pond thru the sand. Here's why.

The sand does not have a one way valve on it, so if the sand continues downhill from the pond, it can drain the water out of the pond in dry times. Not good.

Make sure if you have to build a dam, that you make a good core trench, tie it into good soil at the ends, and compact it properly.

I have a pond dug in sand with a high water table. The level of the pond will be high, at full pool maybe 1 year out of 4. The other years it doesn't get within 3' of going over the spillway, and at times it can be 6' low. At that point I turn on the well and pump 25 gpm into the pond (or sooner than that). That can only do so much, once it gets to a certain level it leaks out as fast as I pump it in.